


There is nothing for me but to love you

by pickyourselfupfred



Series: Fred and Ginger forever [12]
Category: Astaire/Rogers RPF, Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers Movies
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-09
Updated: 2015-01-09
Packaged: 2018-03-06 20:47:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3148064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pickyourselfupfred/pseuds/pickyourselfupfred
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Continuing the story of the making of 'Swing Time'. Light hearted and full of happiness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There is nothing for me but to love you

With the first couple of heady weeks behind them Ginger and Fred began to concentrate a little more on the ‘day job’. After their recent shenanigans Pan wondered if they would knuckle down to hard work again, but, of course, both being true professionals and perfectionists to boot it wasn’t long before their usual rehearsal pattern resumed.

Work now flowed between some dance rehearsal and shooting some of the dialogue and songs on the simpler sets. Stevens was starting with the apartment scene where Lucky woos Penny with a song, one that both of them thought classic Kern/Fields. Today on set Ginger was going to film some reaction shots while Fred, as Lucky tried to coax her out of the bathroom. He wouldn’t feature in the filming today but had come to give Ginger her cues so she could respond. Not many stars did this relying on a stand in but in all their films Gin and Fred had never done this. It was part of doing your best for your partner. George wanted Ginger to be photographed with shampoo in her hair to give reality to the scene so she’d been packed off to hair and make up to achieve this. Fred had seen her with shampoo on and always thought she looked cute and ‘bubbly’ but today he was in a silly mood that would be his undoing.

When she came back on set they had whipped up egg whites into a meringue like texture and slathered her hair in that. It looked good but under the hot Klieg lights it began to cook. Fred started to tease her.  
‘Hey Feathers, you’ve really got egg on your face. The yolk’s on you’.  
She glared at him, raised an eyebrow and scurried back to hair to get this stuff washed out.  
The second reappearance found her with shaving foam all over. Again it seemed ok until the foam melted away leaving her in rat’s tails and stinging eyes from the soap.  
‘You had a close shave with that one’, Fred chortled.  
She pointedly turned her back on him and went off again.  
The third attempt was weird. Someone had lathered her with cold cream but the effect was quite realistic. That was until the heat made the cream harden and give off a terrible stench.  
‘As the song says – a perfectly smell romance’.  
She went up really close and gave him her look, the scary one and stomped away.

At this point George sent a very wise message to the hair department. Forget the shampoo business for the moment, get her washed and he’d do something else today.

When she returned Fred was still chuckling to himself. She came up to him, no emotion on her face and pulled out a bowl from behind her back. Before he could react she tipped the bowl of jello over his head saying, ‘See how you like that Mr A’.  
The jello was semi set and dripped like icing down Fred’s face.

There wasn’t a sound on the set. Fred’s teasing had perhaps gone too far, but Ginger’s reaction was very strong. Everyone steeled themselves for an almighty bust up.  
Fred looked at Ginger with a hint of a smile on his lips. He took his forefinger, trailed it through the jello, tasted it and held it up in front of her face.  
‘Strawberry, my favorite’.  
And every man on the set held his breath as Ginger slowly sucked the remaining jello from his finger.  
They both burst out laughing and exchanged a friendly kiss then Fred extended his arm for her and led her off set, bowing gracefully to the crew around them.

Back in his dressing room he took a quick shower whilst she tried to get jello out of his shirt.  
‘It’s a silly business isn’t it Gin?’ Fred said when he emerged from the shower  
‘We have to do it’, she replied and both of them were so aware they’d embrace all the idiocy of film making to make movies people wanted to see.  
‘Forgive me baby’, he said.  
‘Nothing to forgive – just fun’, she answered. Needless to say they soon kissed and made up.

Next day all went swimmingly. Ginger had suggested whipped cream and after they’d shot the closing bars of the song Fred showed all was well by scooping off a lump of cream and announcing, ‘Ginger peachy and cream. Yum’.

The following week they started shooting on the snow scenes. They both had fond memories of New York snow, walking hand in hand in Central Park through winter flurries and catching snowflakes in their mouths. As in any big city the snow soon turned to grey slush and Ginger had said to him at the time, ‘Born in Missouri and bred in Texas. I’d love to see real snow one day’. They certainly thought the song for this scene was wonderful although at first run through they had collapsed into each other’s arms when Ginger sang ‘You take romance, I’ll take jello’.

The set was beautiful, even if you knew it was fake and the paper snow even had a kind of crunch that the real thing had. George told them he envisaged the routine as a dance of love without the dance. When they started to rehearse the scenes he told them to be as affectionate as they liked.  
‘After all’, he said, 'in all your other films you’ve never got to cuddle that much and audiences will love it. Besides it’ll be a lot more realistic.’

In fact playing the scenes like real life helped their acting terrifically. Every move and snuggle was natural to them and their reactions were entirely spontaneous. The only downside was having to embrace in thick winter coats! 

Fred asked George if he could get a real on-screen kiss with her in the scene that played out before the song began. George told him the tease would work better for the fans who were always asking why they didn’t kiss and also the first words of the song said ‘ A fine romance with no kisses’ so they could hardly have done the deed. Fred thought this a bit mean but resolved to find a way. A quick chat with the guy who was throwing a ‘snowball’ to stop the kiss in this scene gave him an opening. On the first take as he and Ginge leaned in for a kiss the thrower held off as Fred had asked. Much to her surprise he completed the kiss before the snowball hit.  
‘Gee that was nice Fred – even if it wasn’t scripted’, she had whispered.  
And it happened for the next four takes. Ginger caught on quickly and the kisses became more passionate. George was chewing out the poor guy when he realised Fred’s game.  
‘Ok Fred, properly this time – please’.  
Fred winked at the hapless thrower and the take was completed as written.  
‘Can’t you guys let up’, asked George after the camera stopped rolling.  
‘Sorry’, said Fred without a bit of shame.

They continued shooting on the set for the rest of the week. Whether it was the fairy tale atmosphere or Fred’s wickedness he carried on playing tricks on Ginger. He kept trying to break her up during her section of the song by pulling goofy faces and pushed handfuls of fake snow down the back of her coat. She got him back at the conclusion of the song when instead of getting a dusting of ‘snow’ when she put on the car wipers he was deluged in a shower of white. She had to try really hard not to laugh out loud before the director called cut and Fred emerged from the snowstorm blinking and bewildered.

The week ended with a Fred surprise. Chatting to George he found that a friend of his was a pilot with a one-room cabin in the Sierra Nevada’s and there was snow all year round up there. It would be the perfect romantic gesture and satisfy the desire to see real snow she had told him about back in New York.

They were whisked off on Saturday morning and the snow plane ride was as much fun as their trip over Niagara. Landing on a strip about a quarter mile from the cabin they happily trudged through the snow as the plane took off. Ginger was ecstatic and kicked up plumes of snow as they walked along. The cabin was small but cosy and Fred soon had a fire going. Ginger hugged him as the first flames flickered.  
‘Freddie I don’t know how you do it but keep on. It’s perfect’.  
‘Well Gin, there’s a lot of snow out there. What would you like to do baby?’  
She giggled. ‘I know it sounds silly but I’d love a snowball fight’.  
He pulled her outside and those two big kids grabbed handfuls of snow and pelted each other. She was quite competitive and the fight was full on.  
‘You’d have made a great pitcher for the Yankees’, he said after a particularly well-aimed snowball hit him in the face.  
‘You make a better dancer than a thrower’, she retorted.

They went on to make a snowman or more accurately, as Ginger said, a snowlump and finished by making snow angels before their totally frozen fingers forced them back in the cabin. 

‘You’re as cold as yesterday’s mashed potatoes’, he chuckled.  
‘It was so much fun. And it’s so hot in here after outdoors’.  
‘I’m feeling very hot Gin’. He came closer.  
The cold, fresh air had brought a real glow to her cheeks and the remnants of snowflakes glittered like diamonds in her hair.  
‘Ginge you look amazing’. He kissed her.  
Their faces were very cold and the hands he held were icy but the heat of the kiss made them both tingle. If there was ever a perfect time to make love this was it. 

They undressed before the big log fire and were soon alternating between rubs and caresses as they tried to get warm. Fred nibbled her fingers and she rubbed noses with him.  
‘Like the Eskimos’, she murmured.  
When they were less frosty they began their familiar, slow lovemaking. It was like a dance routine they had practised for hours, all the right moves at the right time but always with little surprises for each other. Fred was generous as a lover and gave her many moments of pleasure before joining her for the last climax. Ginger was never quiet when making love and tonight, with no one around for miles, she gave full vent to her delight and Fred holding her afterwards felt he had to say. ‘ Gin if we’d had neighbours they’d have thought a murder was being committed’. He paused. ‘I appreciated it though’.

Only when the fire needing stoking did they both rise from the scattered cushions. Whilst Fred tended the fire Ginger made omelettes for them both which they ate, sitting on the floor, snuggled up together. After they crawled into the bed in the corner of the room and slept like two puppies in a basket.

They woke to a clear, blue sky and happily walked through the snow, taking in the beauty of the scenery around them before the sight of the snow plane brought them back to reality. As they waited for it to land Ginger, snug in the crook of his arm, said, ‘Fred. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for everything you do for me, both as a friend and a lover’.  
‘Just be you’, he replied.


End file.
